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Abstract:

The present invention discloses an article of manufacture comprising a
game which includes playing media such as sticks or cards. The playing
media have a first side with an identifying indicia and a second side
with a question and its corresponding answer. The game consists of
players collecting sticks for providing correct answers to the questions
on the media. The object of the game is to collect the most media in a
specified period.

Claims:

1. An article of manufacture, comprising:a playing media having first and
second sides wherein the first side has an identifying indicia and the
second side has a question thereon and the answer to said question is
also affixed to the second side.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the playing media is a wooden stick.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein the playing media is a card.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein the playing media is plastic.

5. The article of claim 1, wherein the identifying indicia is color.

6. The article of claim 1, wherein the identifying indicia is a design.

7. The article of claim 1, wherein the question is suitable for children
ages 4 to 7 years old.

8. The article of claim 1, wherein the question is suitable for children
ages seven to 12 years old.

9. The article of claim 1, wherein the question is suitable for children
ages 12 to 18 years old.

10. The article of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of playing
media.

11. The article claimed 10, wherein the playing media are sticks and the
identifying indicia are colors.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein the playing media have questions
selected from different topic categories.

13. The article of claim 11, wherein the playing media have questions
selected from different topic categories.

14. A method of playing a game, comprising the steps of:distributing
playing media to at least two players, wherein the playing media has
first and second sides, the first side has an identifying indicia and the
second side has a question thereon and the answer to said question is
also affixed on the second side;allowing a first player to select a
playing media from a second player;allowing the second player to read the
question on the playing media;allowing the first player to answer the
question;allowing the second player to announce the answer to the
question; andallowing the second player to give the first player the
playing media if the first player provides the answer to the question, or
allowing the second player to retain the playing media if the first
player does not provide the answer to the question.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method is repeated at least 10
times, and the player with the largest number of playing media wins.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the game is played with at least two
players.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first player has a time limit to
answer the question.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the playing media have unique
identifying indicia for each player participating in the game.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifying indicia are colors,
and the playing media are sticks.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the playing media have questions
selected from different topic categories.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the playing media have questions
selected from the same topic categories.

Description:

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

[0001]This application claims the priority of U.S. Ser. No. 61/072,152
filed on Mar. 28, 2008, and U.S. Ser. No. 61/067,603 filed on Mar. 1,
2008, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002]The invention relates to the field of games, particularly
educational games for school age children.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003]The present invention relates to the field of games, particularly
games for children that are educational. While there are many educational
games currently on the market, the present invention contains features
that the prior art lacks.

[0004]U.S. Pat. No. 1,408,952 teaches a card game with two sets of cards;
one set of "lesson" cards with one set of "penalty" cards. The game is
intended to simulate certain of the work and experiences of the school
life of a child passing from the lowest school grade to and through high
school.

[0005]U.S. Pat. No. 1,787,521 teaches a game in which each player receives
a board and markers, the markers bearing indicia indicating where they
belong on the board. The object of the game is for a player to remove all
of his own markers from his board before his opponents. The removal of
the markers is controlled by the rolling of indicator sticks.

[0006]U.S. Pat. No. 2,565,702 relates to improvements in playing cards and
more particularly to a pack of cards specifically designed for affording
amusement in playing interesting games, as well as for educational
purposes for giving actual practice in simple fundamentals of
mathematics, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division,
and matching of combinations of numerals and colors.

[0007]U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,057 teaches a game and method of playing same
which comprises a plurality of elongated sticks, preferably in groups of
different indicia, and a ring through which the sticks are initially
placed such that they can become freestanding in a generally conical
configuration. Cards are provided for indicating a stick of a given
indicia to be removed from the freestanding sticks by pulling the same
through the ring.

[0008]U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,197 teaches a question and answer type of game
which includes, in combination, a plurality of card-like members each
bearing question-type indicia, a plurality of cube-shaped answer
designation members each having different answer indicia associated with
the question indicia on one or more of the cards, and a chute device for
receiving the answer designation cubes and maintaining, the cubes in the
chronological order of their being deposited in the chute by the players
of the game. The chute has a funnel portion for receiving the answer
designation cubes and a base portion on which the funnel portion is
readily removably mounted. The funnel portion has a window on one side
thereof to permit visual observation of the answer designation cubes
therein. The base portion has means to block the window when the funnel
portion is mounted thereon to thereby selectively prevent visual
observation of the answer cubes. The funnel portion thus must be removed
from the base portion in order to see the answer designation cubes
contained therein as well as the chronological order of their having been
deposited therein. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a
plurality or set of answer designation cubes are provided for each player
of the game so that the players must select the particular cube which
will answer questions or solve the problem presented by one or more of
the question cards.

[0009]U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,197 teaches a game which educates and entertains
a child that employs a plurality of elongated sticks, each of which has
indicia imprinted on the cross-sectional area of one end and a plurality
of cups which may be mounted on a base; for example, an ash tray. The
sticks are selectively distributed to the cups in a desired manner.

[0010]U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,297 teaches a game for teaching reading skills
through phonics and decoding skills. The game provides for increasing
student (player) interest by incorporating a wagering system similar to
that of casino Blackjack. The wagering aspect makes the game attractive
to mature students (players) who are learning to read or are improving
their reading skills. The game uses word cards and sentence cards. The
word cards have specially-selected words to emphasize important vowel
sounds, common two letter combinations (consonant-consonant and
consonant-vowel) and are selected to use words falling into categories
selected for their universal association. The sentence cards are a
logical progression from the philosophy of Universal Associative
Learning, and pose questions or assign tasks to emphasize reading
comprehension and critical thinking skills. The game also uses timing
means which sets a period of time in which the card must be correctly
responded to, and also uses chips for the placing of wagers. When there
is more than one student reader playing against the banker, the Student
readers may compete to be the first to correctly respond to a single
common card, or may independently attempt o respond to their individual
cards.

[0011]US Patent Application 20040262841 teaches a color card game
comprising a plurality of color cards (10), a plurality of wild cards
(12) that may be aggregated in place of the color cards (10), and a
chromatic wheel (14) that shows in which order the color cards (10) are
to be aggregated. Each card (10,12) displays a unique color comprising a
unique mixture of a hue and an intensity. Each of the color cards (10)
also includes hue indicia (16) and intensity indicia (18). The wild cards
(12) include five grey wild cards of varied intensities to match the
intensities of the color cards (10) and may be used in place of any color
card (10) having matching intensity. The wild cards (12) also include a
white wild card, a black wild card, and a gold wild card, each of which
may be used in place of any of the color cards (10).

[0012]The present invention teaches an educational game which children
play with sticks or cards. One unique aspect of the present invention is
that the sticks or cards have a question and answer on the same side, and
the players ask each other the question and wait for the correct answer.
Having both question and answer on the same side of the stick or card is
beneficial to both players, but particularly to the player holding the
stick or card. Seeing the question and answer together cements the
correct answer in the player's mind through visual learning, and seeing
the information during a pleasant activity associates the learning with
positive feelings. Another positive learning aspect is that the answer
may be announced numerous times during one embodiment of the game, which
reinforces learning.

[0013]Another advantage of the current invention is ease of set-up and
transportation. The entire game consists of a set of sticks or cards and
possibly a rounds marker, so there is no bulky board or other pieces to
set up, and the game can be set-up in a matter of minutes, simply by
passing out the appropriate number of sticks or cards to the players. The
rules for the game are elegantly simple as well, allowing play without
elaborate instruction time. The educational level of the game is easily
altered by choosing sticks or cards with higher level questions for older
players, and sticks or cards with lower level questions for younger
players. The game also has the advantage that it can still be played if
parts become lost, and can be inexpensively expanded by adding new sticks
or cards from expansion packs.

[0014]Another advantage of the present invention is that the media can be
used to play many different embodiments of the basic game so that the
entertainment value is increased. Additionally, any number of users can
play games with the media, from a one player solitaire game to games of
100 players if teams and expansion packs are used.

[0015]The media can also be used in classrooms by teachers, who can act as
a `leader` and ask all of the questions, then award the sticks or cards
to the students who get the right answers. A prize may be given to the
child who collects the most sticks or cards, or for each correct answer.
The students may pick the color category for the day, using a different
color group for each day of the week, etc. The permutations on the game
are many and can be modified to fit the group at hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016]The invention is an article of manufacture comprising a playing
media having first and second sides wherein the first side has an
identifying indicia and the second side has a question thereon and the
answer to said question is also affixed to the second side.

[0017]The invention is an educational game played with media such as, but
not limited to, sticks or cards; the term `stick` will be used here to
indicate all such media. The object of the game is for a player to
collect the most sticks. Each stick has a question and its corresponding
answer printed on one side, and a design or color printed on the other
side. The design or color may be used to separate the sticks into groups.
The sticks are held such that the question and answer sides are visible
only to the players holding them; the other players see the design sides
of the sticks.

[0018]To begin the game, the sticks are dealt to each player, and a first
player is chosen. For 2-5 players, each player preferably gets 10 sticks.
For 5-10 players, each player preferably gets 5 sticks. In a first
preferred embodiment, the first player chooses a stick that is held by a
second player. The second player retains the stick and asks the first
player the question that is printed on the stick. The first player has a
set time limit in which to answer. If the first player can't answer in
the time limit or answers incorrectly, the second player preferably says
the answer and retains the stick. If the first player answers correctly,
the second player gives the stick to the first player. In either case,
play then moves to the next person, preferably to the person in the
clockwise position relative to the first player. Other means for
selecting the next player may be employed. The game is played for a
pre-determined number of rounds or a set time period.

[0019]It is an object of the invention to educate children in an
entertaining manner.

[0020]It is an object of the invention to provide children with a fun and
interactive educational game.

[0021]It is an object of the invention to provide educational tools for
children.

[0022]It is an object of the invention to provide educational tools for
teachers.

[0023]It is an object of the invention to provide a game that can be
played anywhere.

[0024]It is an object of the invention to provide a game that can be
played with minimum set-up time.

[0025]It is an object of the invention to teach children a variety of
subjects.

[0026]It is an object of the invention to be easily transported and
stored.

[0027]It is an object of the invention to have an attractive appearance to
engage children and adults.

[0028]It is an object of the invention to provide a game that can be
played in a short amount of time if necessary.

[0029]It is an object of the invention to provide a game that can be
played by 1 to 10 players or more.

[0030]It is an object of the invention to provide a game that can be
played by children of differing ages and knowledge levels.

[0031]It is an object of the invention to provide a game that is durable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0032]FIG. 1 is a back view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,
showing media in the form of sticks with questions and answers on the
second side.

[0033]FIG. 2 is a back view showing cards with questions and answers on
the second side.

[0034]FIG. 3 is a front view, showing designs and words on the first side
of the media.

[0035]FIG. 4 is a flowchart, showing how the media are used to play a
game.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036]The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be
described with reference to FIGS. 1-4.

[0037]FIG. 1 shows the second side 120 of a set of playing media 100
disposed as sticks, each with a question 200 and an answer 300. FIG. 1
shows medium with a social studies question 210 with its corresponding
correct answer 310, a medium with a math question 220 and its
corresponding correct answer 320, a medium with a science question 230
and its corresponding correct answer 330, and a medium with a language
arts question 240 and its corresponding correct answer 340.

[0038]FIG. 2 shows the second side 120 of a set of playing media 100
disposed as cards, each with a question 200 and an answer 300. FIG. 2
shows medium with a social studies question 210 with its corresponding
correct answer 310, a medium with a math question 220 and its
corresponding correct answer 320, a medium with a science question 230
and its corresponding correct answer 330, and a medium with a language
arts question 240 and its corresponding correct answer 340.

[0039]The questions and answers shown on the media in FIGS. 1 and 2 could
be from any subject, including but not limited to, entertainment, travel,
animal facts, TV trivia, foreign language, other trivia, sports, food and
drink, modern living, popular music band or musician names, weather
facts, with the preferred subjects those that children learn in school,
such as math, science, language arts, social studies, music, health, etc.
Moreover, the questions can be in any language.

[0040]The questions and answers shown in the figures may be placed on the
media using any method, including but not limited to, printing, including
but not limited to, laser printing, ink jet printing, digitally
transferring the data; engraving, typing, and Braille.

[0041]The playing media may have one question or two or more questions and
answers on the second side. Additionally, the first side of the playing
media may contain any indicia or design. Preferred embodiments would have
the words `Smarty Smart Sticks`, with or without the category of the
question, with or without the age group that the questions are geared
toward, with or without the website information, and with or without a
possible code on playing media which may be collector playing media.

[0042]The game and questions can be geared to age appropriate categories,
such as for children ages 4 to 7, 7 to 12, 12 to 18, or adult.

[0043]The media may be manufactured from any material or combination of
materials, including but not limited to, wood, plastics, rubbers, paper,
cardstock, cardboard, glass, fiberglass, elastomers, metals, plant
materials, foods, animal parts, cloth, leather, composites, minerals, or
any combination thereof. The media can be any size or shape suitable for
the particular application. In the case of the sticks, the sizes may, but
will not necessarily, have dimensions of 2 to 8'' in height and 1/4'' and
1' in width. If the media is a card, then likely dimensions are between
2'' and 6'' in height and 1'' and 5'' in width. The game may have any
number of media, but will preferably have at least 50, but could have 100
media or more.

[0044]FIG. 3 shows the first side 110 of a set of playing media 100
disposed as cards.

[0045]FIG. 3 shows 3 different media with indicia 400, and one medium with
a design 410.

[0046]FIG. 3 shows the media with wording or design as differentiating
indicia, but the media could be differentiated from each other by any
means, including but not limited to, color, media thickness, the material
from which the media are manufactured, shape, size, or feel, feel
including but not limited to whether the surface is rough or smooth.
Also, the indicia could be anything, including but not limited to, words,
patterns, digital images, personalized designs such as but not limited to
pictures that are colored by the user, or the media could be
differentiated from each other by any combination of any the means
described above.

[0047]The identifying means could be placed on the media by any method,
including but not limited to, printing, engraving, carving, Braille,
cutting, die-cutting, digitally transferring images, coloring using any
writing or drawing tool, scraping, rubbing, gluing, heat fusing, taping,
or other suitable methods.

[0048]Although the figures show the media in the preferred embodiment as
oblong sticks and rectangular cards, the media could be any shape,
including but not limited to, square, rectangle, oblong, polygon, star,
triangle, vehicle shape, flower or other nature shape, animal shape, with
all or some of the cards being a certain shape or shapes.

[0049]FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of one embodiment of a game played using
the playing media.

[0050]In this embodiment, there are groups of sticks differentiated by
color. The sticks may be grouped such that the sticks with identical
designs or colors belong to the same class of question, ie: red sticks
are for geography, blue sticks are for science, etc., or so that a group
contains one or more questions from each category, i.e., the red and the
blue group each contain one geography, one math, one science, and one
language arts question. Other colors or indicia, or identifying means and
subject categories may be used as well.

[0051]If 2-5 users are playing, each player gets 10 sticks. If 5-10 users
are playing, each player gets 5 sticks. In this embodiment, each player
has sticks only from one color group, such that the first player has all
blue sticks. If 1-5 users are playing, then each player has 10 sticks of
a unique color. If 5-10 users are playing, then player one and player six
may each have 5 blue sticks. If the game is played in an education
setting then one or more of the players may not be a teacher.

[0052]To start the game, player 1 is chosen through any method amenable to
the group or group leader. Player 1 then picks a stick from another
player, for instance player 2, and player 2 asks player 1 the question on
the stick. If player 1 gets the incorrect answer, then player 2 announces
the correct answer to the group and keeps the stick. If player 1 gets the
correct answer, then player 2 hands the stick to player one. In either
case, the game may proceed to the player who is in the clockwise position
relative to player 1. The game is played for any number of rounds,
preferably 10, but up to 20 rounds or more. The player with the most
sticks at the end of all the rounds wins.

[0053]A system for marking rounds may be employed, such as but not limited
to, using a numbered book, using a scratch pad to record rounds played,
using a mechanical counter, or using a chip, stone, candy, or other
physical item to keep track of rounds.

[0054]Many other embodiments exist for playing the game. They include, but
are not limited to, using identifying means other than color to identify
groups, having `groups` consist of one category of question or of mixed
categories of questions, retaining and keeping cards in play after their
answers have been revealed, discarding cards whose answers have been
revealed, piling cards in front of the player who won them after their
answer is revealed, playing the game as a game of solitaire, playing the
game in teams, playing with any number of users and forming teams as
necessary, including teams comprised of differing age groups to answer a
wide range of questions, adding expansion packs that contain more sticks
or cards, and possibly new categories or levels of difficulty, playing
until one player or team accumulates all or a vast majority of the cards,
giving the answer on the card and having the player guess the question,
choosing order of play by any number of means, such as but not limited
to, age, height, hair length, number of pets at home, etc. or going
counter-clockwise around the group, having a leader ask the questions on
the cards and individuals or groups try to answer and be awarded the
stick or card for a correct answer, have each player media with either
identical or varying indicia, or any combination of these alternate
embodiments or other embodiment which can be created to be used with the
media of the present invention. For instance, one alternative embodiment
of the game may include a player losing a stick or card if he or she gets
an answer incorrect. As an additional alternative, the game would end as
soon as all sticks or cards are lost by any one player or team.

[0055]One group for which the game could have particular use is special
needs children and adults. For instance, autistic children may be enticed
to learn using the game. Deaf children could either sign their answers or
write them on a piece of paper. The sticks or cards could be made with
Braille indicia for blind people, with the categories being different
shapes or differentiated other ways, such as by sound, which could be
accomplished by embedding sound chips in the playing media. Mentally
handicapped children and adults could also be taught using the game, and
may enjoy the plurality of colors associated with the playing media. In
their case, or the case for very young players, pictures may take the
place of words in the questions and/or answers.

[0056]Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of
particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has
been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the
details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to
without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.